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"Not to be born is the best thing of all and the next best thing is to die soon after", said a great Greek playwright once. Almost two and a half millenia later, those powerful words have not lost their poignant profundity. As Arnold Toynbee had observed just a little bit earlier in our own time, the greatest problem of mankind is spiritual suffering, and no amount of plumbing and central heating can alleviate spiritual suffering. Yet, much as I resonate strongly with the ultimately pessimistic wisdom of Sophocles and Toynbee, I believe we should make the best of what we have. When it comes to parting, I think Fonzie packs the most punch (although Nick Romano said it first according to Richie) "Live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse".

Now that I've been around the block a few times, I think that Fonzie's counsel applies equally well to people's careers. When's the best time to leave? Of course, the answer is different if you are a founder, or you are treated like one. You would carry what I call the founder's fardel - The company is as much a part of you as you are of it, and you relish the burden on your back - Like Hotel California, "you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave". But for almost every one else, I think this is what I've learnt: The best time to leave is when you've done a great job, you've delivered on your commitment, you're having fun, you're proud of yourself, and you have successfully and fearlessly made yourself redundant (or almost).